Anger Analysis: Part One
WARNING: nbsp;Contains the spanking of teenagers by a surrogate family member and their father.
DISCLAIMER: I own no characters from (or anything related to) the show Supernatural. I only want to play with them for a little while. I promise to return them in (almost) the same condition.
TITLE: Anger Analysis: Part One
Characters: Bobby Singer, Sam (14) and Dean (18) Winchester; John Winchester
IMPLEMENT: Hand, Wooden spoon, Belt
"Boys!" yelled Bobby Singer. This was the third time he had to intervene in an apparent free-for-all that the two Winchester boys had started and it pissed the hunter off to have to keep trying to corral his young charges. Those boys were old enough to stop this nonsense; in fact, both of them were old enough not to have started in the first place.
Finally fed up, Bobby grabbed each boy by their ear and gave a tug to convey his displeasure. The brothers yelped and stopped rolling around on the floor like two drunken cowboys in a bar brawl. They gave their "uncle" a sheepish look and then slowly got up. No one spoke for several seconds and the only sound was the labored breathing of the two teenagers.
"Damnit, you two idjits had better cut it out. I'm sick of you two acting like you ain't got no sense. If you keep it up, I'm going to be forced to whup your butts. Do you understand me?" Bobby said with anger in his voice.
"Bobby, I'm eighteen and you've got no right threatening me. You're not my father," Dean shouted.
"You're right, I'm not you're father, but when he left you two with me, he told me to treat you like you were my own. And I'm here to tell you, I've been pretty easy with you. If a son of mine acted like you're acting or screamed at me like you just did, I guarantee I wouldn't care if he was eighteen or not, he would be getting his butt handed to him," Bobby replied, giving Dean a look that said he would tolerate no more.
"I'd like to see you try, old man," Dean said disrespectfully.
As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Dean regretted them. Bobby was a friend who was nice enough to let the Winchester boys stay at his house, eat his food, and help with Sam when he needed it. Dean knew he was wrong for what he had said, but he let his anger at his father cloud his judgement. He had just decided to apologize when he felt the slap across his cheek.
'Smack.'
Dean had only been slapped across the face once before by his father when had made a particularly rude comment when he was a young teenager. He hated it then and he hated it now. It hurt and it was embarrassing, especially because it happened in front of his little brother. Without giving his actions any thought, Dean balled up his right hand into a fist and punched Bobby in the face, causing the older hunter to let out a pained groan. After all, Dean had been training for many years and knew just how to deliver a blow that could cause a lot of damage.
The silence that followed was almost deafening. Bobby looked stunned by what had happened and just stood there with blood dripping from his busted lip. He was at a loss for words. Never in a million years did he think one of John Winchester's sons would raise their hand to him in anger. Never.
Sam began to cry quietly, not quite comprehending what had occurred. He could not believe that his big brother, his hero, had actually struck "Uncle" Bobby. No matter how angry Dean was, he had no right!
Dean, on the other hand, appeared to be the most stunned of all. He was raised that a child--and that's really what he still was--never, ever lashed out at an authority figure, but that's exactly what he had done. Bobby would never forgive him for this. Dean began to panic and realized he had to leave before his surrogate uncle recovered from his shock. He couldn't take the look of disappointment or hate that he was convinced would be directed at him.
Before the other two could react, Dean turned on his heel and headed for the front door. He only had one thing on his mind--RUN. Run and don't look back. Never look back. Never see the looks that would haunt him until his dying day.
"Dean!" Bobby called. "Dean, come back!" He began to run towards the front door, trying to catch the young man who had bolted out of it seconds ahead of him. Bobby knew that Dean was upset and would most likely not come home voluntarily for a long time. He had to find him before he self-destructed. Sure, Bobby was angry, but he needed to convince Dean that the situation could be fixed; maybe not today, but very soon.
Dean ran until he was sweaty and out of breath. He was certain that he had outrun Bobby sometime ago, but he had forced himself to continue well past the point of exhaustion. Now that he had stopped, he began to think about what had transpired a short time before and the tears started to run down his cheeks before he could stop them. Never before had he done anything this brazen, this disrespectful, this stupid. He was convinced that he would never be forgiven by Bobby, or Sam, or his dad.
'Crap,' Dean thought. He had just realized his father was going to kick his ass for this stunt and that realization caused the tears to fall faster. Of course, no amount of ass beating would erase what he had done. He hit Bobby, in anger!!
Bobby returned to the house after fruitlessly pursuing Dean for a good mile to find Sam crying his heart out on the couch. The older man needed to calm the young boy down, so he sat down next to him and began to rub Sam's back, all the while shushing him.
"Sam, it's going to be alright. Everything is going to be fine. We just need to give your brother some time to think and then he'll come back," Bobby tried to reassure Sam.
"No, he won't come back! He hit you and now you hate him! He won't ever come back!" Sam shouted.
"I don't hate him. He made a stupid mistake and I'm sure he's real sorry. He just needs time to think. I could never hate you or your big brother. You're like my own sons. Nothing you could say or do would change my mind about that." Bobby felt himself tearing up at Sam's assumption that he could ever hate either one of the Winchester boys--no matter what they did.
Sam heard the break in Bobby's voice and sat up to grab him in a hug. The two held each other for a long time, neither one wanting to let go.
"Let's give Dean a few more minutes before we go look for him. I'm sure he didn't go too far. Come get me some ice for my lip, while I wash the blood from my face. Okay?" Bobby said gently. When Sam didn't respond immediately, Bobby nudged him and repeated, "Okay?"
"Yes, sir," Sam finally said.
"And go wash your face while you're at it. You'll feel a lot better if you do."
"Yes, sir," Sam said again.
It had been at least an hour since Dean had run from Bobby's house like the devil himself was chasing him. Dean wasn't sure what his next move was. He decided a short time ago that he had to go back, but he hadn't been able to force himself to return just yet. To be honest, he was scared. Not of the whipping he knew he was in for, but of the reaction of his "uncle". Now that he had time to think about it, he wasn't sure what was going to happen when he went back. Maybe, just maybe, the older man could one day forgive him, if Dean promised, swore even, that nothing like what happened would ever, ever happen again. Perhaps, if he begged for a beating everyday for a month, maybe Bobby would not hate him. He decided he had some more thinking to do before he could go back. If Dean didn't return soon though, Sammy would begin to panic and that was unacceptable.
Bobby and Sam waited another half hour before Bobby decided it was time to go find Dean. It would be dark soon and many things came out after dark. Dean didn't even have his phone or his favorite pistol with him and John would have a fit if he found out his son was out after dark with absolutely no protection. The older hunter and his young charge had to hurry if they were going to find Dean and be back before nightfall.
Before leaving the house, Bobby grabbed two shotguns and handed one to Sam. He knew Sam was well versed in weapons safety, but that didn't stop him from giving Sam a few reminders.
"Remember to keep the gun pointed away from anything you don't intend to kill. Your's is loaded with rock salt, but you can still do some damage. Make every shot count. You may not get a second chance."
"Come on, Bobby. Skip the lecture. It's nothing I haven't heard a thousand times," Sam said irritably. He was ready to find Dean and bring him home. Screw Bobby's lecture about firearms.
"I know you are upset about the situation, but that gives you no reason to be disrespectful, young man. You had better watch your attitude, or I'll be adjusting it later tonight. Do you understand?" Bobby replied. He understood that Sam was worried about his brother, but Bobby wasn't about to put up with any lip from the youngest Winchester.
"Yes, sir. I'm sorry, Uncle Bobby. I'm just really wanting to find Dean," Sam said piteously.
"Then let's go. Now, you stay with me cause I don't need to be hunting down two Winchesters. Is that clear? Right with me and I mean it!"
"Yes, sir!"
Dean began to realize that the sun was getting lower in the sky and if he didn't go back soon, he would be caught in the dark without any kind of protection. He shuddered at the thought of what his father would say about that! Besides, he was starting to get cold and didn't even have long sleeves on. 'I am so dumb,' Dean told himself. 'I have been a hunter practically all my life and wouldn't it be ironic if I died of exposure because I was so stupid as to be unprepared?' With that in mind, Dean turned towards Bobby's house and the possibly irate hunter who lived there.
"Dean! Dean Winchester! Answer me!" Bobby's voice called out into the fading light. "Dean. Where are you boy?"
"Hey, Dean! Dean, please answer me!" the voice of the younger Winchester yelled. "Come on, Dean!"
About that time, Sam heard a noise in the trees behind them and decided to go check to see if it was his wayward brother. He knew what Bobby had told him, but he really wanted to go see what was in the trees, so he glanced Bobby's direction and realized Bobby had his back to Sam, so headed toward the sound. A minute or so later, Bobby noted that Sam was no longer calling out, so he turned to locate him when he realized Sam was no longer trailing him. 'Damnit!' Bobby said to himself. Now he had two missing boys. When he found Sam, he was going to be sorry for wandering off, especially since he had been warned.
Bobby doubled back, calling out to Sam the whole time. "Sam, where the hell are you, boy?"
Sam had made it to the treeline when he heard the same noise from before. He carefully approached the sound and was dismayed to discover it was just a squirrel scratching around in the leaves. No Dean. 'Crap,' thought Sam and then he heard Bobby's voice cutting through the twilight.
"Samuel Winchester, you had better answer me, boy! I am not fooling around here!" Sam swallowed hard because he knew once he answered, he would be in big trouble.
"I'm right here, Uncle Bobby!" Sam hollered towards the older man's voice.
"You come here right now, young man! Don't make me come find you!" Bobby yelled back. He was in no mood for this.
Sam slowly made his way out of the treeline and went to stand by the irate hunter. He could see by the look on Bobby's face, he was in for some swats and Bobby did not disappoint.
WHAP! WHAP! WHAP! WHAP! WHAP! WHAP! WHAP!
The swats came fast and furious on Sam's backside, causing him to suck in his breath. Bobby usually didn't hit him so hard! Sam could feel his eyes water, but he quickly wiped the tears away before they had a chance to fall.
"What in the hell do you think you are doing? I told you to stay right with me didn't I? Bobby's face was red with anger as he chastised his young charge.
"Yes, sir, but I heard a noise over here and wanted to check it out. I'm sorry I worried you," Sam said with a slight whine.
"You know it's not safe to be out here by yourself, don't you? And I told you to stay with me, didn't I?
"Yes, sir," Sam said.
"Then you did two things wrong, correct?" Bobby asked.
"I guess," Sam said with uncertainty. He was worried where this line of questioning was leading. He didn't have to worry long.
WHAP! WHAP! WHAP! WHAP! WHAP! WHAP! WHAP!
The second set of swats was no more fun than the first set had been. They stung even more on Sam's already tenderized backside and despite his best efforts, a few tears fell. Sam decided then and there he was going to practically step on Bobby's heels for the rest of the time they were out. He didn't want anymore swats from those hands--they were as big as catcher's mitts!
"Are we going to have any more problems, Sam? Because if we are, I can go ahead and have you cut a switch for me to use on your backside," Bobby practically growled.
"No, sir! No problems," Sam said remorsefully.
Bobby took pity on Sam and pulled him into a hug. He wanted Sam to know he was forgiven. Bobby knew he hadn't disobeyed on purpose, he had just been caught up in the search for his brother. Speaking of Dean, they had better move if they were going to find Dean before it was totally dark.
As Dean made his way back towards Bobby's house, he started feeling like a chunk of ice was in his gut. 'Must be guilt,' he thought. 'Perhaps dread, too.' He had been thinking about how he was going to get Bobby to forgive him, but every idea seemed to be inadequate. 'I'm just so scared he'll never forgive me. That I've lost him forever.' Just then a thought occurred to him. 'What about Sammy? Will he ever forgive me? Will Dad ever forgive me?' Dean let the feelings of despair take over and he felt the tears run down his cheeks. He felt so lost and alone. He needed comfort, but would he find it at Bobby's house?
"Dean! Dean!" Bobby's voice rang out in the semi-darkness. "Answer me, boy!"
"Dean! Come on, Dean!" Sam yelled out his brother's name again and again. "Uncle Bobby, are we ever going to find him?"
"A little faith, Son. We'll find him soon. Don't worry," Bobby tried to reassure Sam, but he was beginning to doubt the truthfulness of that statement.
About the time Dean had decided there was probably no forgiveness, he thought he heard his name. 'It must be the wind,' Dean guessed. But, no, he heard it again. He was sure this time. It sounded like Sammy. 'If he snuck out and is here by himself, I am going to beat his ass,' was the only thought that ran through Dean's mind. He began trotting towards the call, relieved to hear a familiar voice. He emerged from the woods and saw his little brother a dozen or so yards from him.
"Sammy! Sammy!" Dean yelled, trying to get his brother's attention.
Sam turned toward the sound and saw his big brother heading towards him at at trot. He almost couldn't believe his eyes. There was Dean! Sam broke out into a run and leapt into Dean's arms. He didn't care that they both fell to the ground, he was so happy his brother was safe. The Winchester boys stayed that way for several minutes.
"You aren't here alone are you, Sammy?" Dean asked.
"No. Uncle Bobby is right there," Sam said, pointing to the older man standing to the side watching the exchange between the two brothers. Sam was so glad to see Dean he ignored the 'Sammy' remark.
Dean's eyes widened at the sight of Bobby because he hadn't even noticed him until Sam pointed him out. Dean pushed Sam off and scrambled to his feet. Then in an act of deference, Dean ducked his head and stared at his shoes. He couldn't bring himself to look Bobby in the eye. Bobby must hate him!
The bear hug astonished Dean. He had convinced himself that forgiveness was a long time in coming, so he expected no kindness from his surrogate uncle. He slowly put his arms around Bobby and wept. Bobby just held him and rubbed his back.
"Let's go home, Son."
nbsp; --- To be continued --
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